Malaysian cuisine

The cuisine of a country is generally a microcosm of the nation and Malaysian cuisine reflects the multi racial aspects of Malaysia. Various ethnic groups in Malaysia have their dishes but many dishes in Malaysia are derived from multiple ethnic influences.

Ingredients

Staple foods

Rice tends to be a staple food in Malaysia as in most countries in the region. The rice eaten in Malaysia tends to be the local variety of rice or fragrant rice from Thailand, its northern neighbour. Quality rice (long grained, fragrant and delicate flavour) Indian basmati is used in biryani dishes. Japanese short grain rice and others are slowly entering the Malaysian diet as Malaysians expand their culinary tastes to new areas.

Noodles are another popular food. Noodles such as "Mee Hoon, 米粉" (rice vermicelli), "Kuay Teow, 粿条" (soft fluffy noodles shaped like fettuccine but made of rice and translucent white in colour), "Mee, 麺" (yellow noodles), "Mee Suah, 麺线" (very fine wheat vermicelli), "Yee Meen, 伊麺" (pre-fried noodles), "Tang Hoon, 冬粉" (transparent noodles made from green beans), macaroni, and others provide a source of carbohydrate besides the ubiquitous serving of rice that accompanies every meal.

Indian style bread such as naan, puri, roti canai, thosai and idli are commonly eaten by most Malaysian as part of breakfast.Western style bread is a relatively new addition to the Malaysian diet, having gained acceptance only in the last generation or so.

Meat

Poultry

Chicken is generally available from local farms and is a cheap source of meat. Farms used to be family affairs, with chickens slaughtered fresh on demand at the community wet market. For a small fee a vendor would put the dead chicken into a machine where the feathers would be removed. The machine consisted of a large container of hot water which was agitated aggressively resulting in removal of feathers. Gutting and cleaning the chicken would be performed at home.

Today, while wet markets still exist, most urban Malaysians purchase frozen poultry which are raised on huge farms run by corporations.

A special type of chicken in Malaysian cooking is called the "kampung chicken" (literally village chicken). These are free-range chickens which are allowed to roam instead of being caged. These chickens are generally considered to have higher nutritional value. They are scrawnier than their farmed counterparts, meaning they have less body fat. Cooking of kampung chicken is usually by way of steaming or preparation in a soup.

Duck and goose also form part of the Malaysian diet.

Satay chicken, grilled chicken with a peanut and coconut milk sauce, is in fact the national dish of Malaysia.

Beef

Beef is common in the Malaysian diet though it is notable that followers of certain religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism forbid the consumption of beef. Beef can be commonly found cooked in curries, stews, roasted or with noodles. Malays generally eat beef that is halal.

Pork

Pork is largely consumed by the Chinese community in Malaysia. Malays are by definition Muslim and therefore do not consume pork since Islam forbids it. Canned pork can usually be found in the non-halal sections of local supermarkets and hypermarkets, and fresh pork can be bought in some wet markets and some supermarkets and hypermarkets.

Mutton

Mutton is available in the Malaysian cuisine too. It generally refers to goats' meat rather than sheep's. The meat is used in dishes such as Sup Kambing, curries or stews.

Seafood

Many types of seafood are consumed in Malaysia, including shrimp or prawns, a type of crawfish- or langoustine-like creature called udang galah, crabs, squid, cuttlefish, clams, cockles, snails, and octopus. In general, members of all ethnic communities enjoy seafood, which is considered halal by Malaysian Muslims (and indeed most other Muslims). However, crabs are not considered halal as they can live on both land and sea. Members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church do not eat seashells or fish without fins and scales.

Fish

Fish features in the Malaysian diet and most local fish is purchased the day after it is caught. Some local fish is salted and dried. This dry, hard, salted item is also used as an ingredient.

Frozen fish are usually of the imported kind. Fish such as salmon and cod are well received on the Malaysian table but are not caught by local fishermen. Such fish are frozen and flown in as pieces or as whole fish and usually sold by weight.

Vegetables

Vegetables are usually available year round as Malaysia does not have four seasons. During the rainy season, sometimes vegetable yield decreases but does not stop altogether. Therefore, vegetables can be purchased year round but are slightly more expensive at certain times of the year.

Fruit

Malaysia's climate allows for fruits to be grown all year round. Most tropical fruits are either grown in Malaysia or imported from neighbouring countries. The demand for fruits is generally quite high. The durian, a fruit with a spiky outer shell and a characteristic odour is a local tropical fruit that is notable because it provokes strong emotions either of loving it or hating it. It is also known as the king of fruits. The rambutan also has a distinctive appearance, being red or yellow in colour (when ripe) and having fleshy pliable spines or 'hairs' on its outer skin. Some other fruits include the mangosteen which is called the queen of fruits and lychee which has a bumpy red skin.

Food types

Malay food

Typical festive fare during Hari Raya Puasa or Hari Raya Haji (clockwise from bottom left): beef soup, nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes), beef rendang and sayur lodeh.

• Kangkung belacan' is kangkung wok-fried in a pungent sauce of shrimp paste (belacan) and hot chilli peppers. Various other items are cooked this way, including petai (which is quite bitter when eaten raw; some older generation Malays still eat it as is) and yardlong beans.
• Keropok lekor, a specialty of the state of Terengganu and other states on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, is a savoury cake made from a combination of batter and shredded fish. Sliced and fried just before serving,it is eaten with hot sauce.
• Kuih is usually a cake eaten during the morning or during midday.
• Ikan Bakar, grilled/bbq-ed fish with either chilli, kunyit turmeric or other spice based sauce.
• Ketupat and rendang is the most delicious cuisine which is served normally on Hari Raya festival .
• Nasi Lemak - a rice cooked with coconut milk and served with anchovies, nuts, cucumbers, a chili paste knowan as sambal and a choice of curries
• Nasi Dagang is the Nasi Lemak of east coast Peninsula Malaysia, in the state of Terengganu and Kelantan.
• Nasi Kerabu popular in Kelantan.
• Nasi Paprik originated from southern Thailand, rice with "lauk", typically chicken.
• Nasi Goreng Kampung a type of fried rice, traditionally flavored with pounded fried fish (normally mackerel), though recently fried anchovies are used in place of it.
• Lontong is a yellowish creamy soup mix with mee hun and ketupat.
• Soto Soup with mee hhun or ketupat
• Apam Balik - a bread like puff with sugar, corn, and coarse nut in the middle.
• Pulut- Glutinous rice serve with either rendang or coconut and brown sugar
• Serunding - Shreaded meat in a form of meat floss with spices.
• Nasi Berlauk - Plain rice served with different variety of dishes
• Ikan masin - Salted fish
• Ayam Percik -grilled chicken with spicy sauce

Indian food

Malaysian Indian cuisine of the ethnic Indians in Malaysia is similar to its roots in India. Hands are washed before and the right hand is used during the meal .

• Banana leaf rice is white rice served on banana leaf with an assortment of vegetables, curried meat or fish and papadum.
• Thosai (in Johor Baru spelt Dosai) is a batter made from lentils and rice blended with water and left to ferment overnight. The batter is spread into a thin, circular disc on a flat, preheated pan, where it is fried with a dash of edible oil or ghee until the dosa reaches a golden brown colour. Then the thosai may optionally be turned over on the pan, and partially fried. The end product is neatly folded and served. Thosai is served with sambar (vegetable curry) and coconut chutney.

• Idli is made from lentils (specifically black lentils) and rice — into patties, usually two to three inches in diameter, using a mold and steamed. Most often eaten at breakfast or as a snack, idli are usually served in pairs with chutney, sambar, or other accompaniments.

• Putu Mayam (String hoppers/ Idiyappam) is a sweet dish of rice noodles with coconut and jaggery as main ingredients. It is served with grated coconut and jaggery, or, brown sugar. In some areas, gula melaka (coconut palm sugar) is the favourite sweetener. Putu piring is a version of putu mayam in which the rice flour dough is used to form a small cake around a filling of coconut and brown sugar.

• Briyani is a rice dish from the made from a mixture of spices, basmati rice, meat/vegetables and yogurt. The ingredients are ideally cooked together in the final phase and is time-consuming to prepare. Pre-mixed biryani spices from different commercial names are easily available in markets these days, which reduces the preparation time though the taste differs considerably.

• Chapati is a type of bread. It is made from a dough of atta flour (whole grain durum wheat), water and salt by rolling the dough out into discs of approximately twelve centimeters in diameter and browning the discs on both sides on a very hot, dry tava or frying pan (preferably not one coated with Teflon or other nonstick material). Chapatis are usually eaten with vegetable curry dishes, and pieces of the chapati are used to wrap around and pick up each bite of the cooked dish.

Mamak food

Mamak (Indian Muslims) dishes have developed a distinctly Malaysian style. Available throughout the country, the omnipresent Mamak stalls or restaurants are particularly popular among the locals as they offer a wide range of food and some outlets are open 24 hours a day. They're fast, economical and perfect as a meeting place for a drink and snacks.

• Roti canai is a thin bread with a flaky crust, fried on a skillet and served with condiments. It is sometimes referred to as roti kosong. In Singapore, it is referred to as prahta.
• Roti telur is a roti canai with egg in it. Telur means egg.
• Mamak rojak is a variant of rojak consisting of substantial ingredients like boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Also known as 'pasembur'.
• Maggi goreng is a dish of fried Maggi instant noodles with flavouring (usually curry), vegetables, egg, tofu and occasionally chicken.
• Nasi Kandar is white rice or briyani rice served with other dishes of curry either with chicken, fish, beef, or mutton and usually with pickled vegetables too. It is usually accompanied by some Papadums.
• Nasi Lemak is rice steamed with coconut milk to lend it special fragrance. It is served with anchovies, nuts, cucumber and a chili paste known as 'sambal'. The mamak variety of 'sambal' tends to be a bit more spicy whereas the malay version of 'sambal' in a nasi lemak tends to be on the sweet side.
• Teh tarik literally meaning 'pulled tea', is a well-loved drink amongst Malaysians. Tea is sweetened using condensed milk, and is prepared using out-stretched hands to pour piping hot tea from a mug into a waiting glass, repetitively. The higher the 'pull', the thicker the froth. The 'pulling' of tea also has the effect of cooling down the tea. Teh tarik is a form of art in itself and watching the tea streaming back and forth into the containers can be quite captivating.

Chinese food

Malaysian Chinese food in Malaysia is derived from mainland Chinese cuisine but has been influenced by local ingredients and dishes from other cultures though it remains distinctly Chinese.

• Asam Laksa (Malay: 亞三叻沙). A bowl of thick white rice noodles served in a soup made of fish meat, tamarind, pineapple and cucumber in slices.
• Bak Kut Teh (Chinese : 肉骨茶) (pork ribs soup). A soup cooked with herbs, garlic and pork ribs which have been boiled for many hours. In some towns, additional ingredients include sea cucumber and abalone. Bak kut teh is believed to have medicinal properties. In chinese, it literally means 'meat bone soup'.
• Bakkwa (Chinese : 肉干), Known also as barbequed pork and it literally means dried meat. This delicacy is sold everywhere throughout Malaysia and is especially popular during the Chinese New Year celebrations period.
• Pao (Chinese : 包) also known as bao, is a steamed bun made of rice flour, with fillings of various types of meat. It is usually a menu item found in Dim Sum places, although these days it can be seen in most coffee stalls. The town of Kulai outside Johor Baru sells a sweet black bean and lotus variety of Pao.
• Bread with curry chicken, chicken cooked in curry with a covering of bread. Found in the town of Kampar.
• Cantonese Fried Mee. (Chinese : 廣府炒, 河粉, 鴛鴦) Deep fried thin rice noodles served in a thick white sauce. The sauce is cooked with sliced lean pork, prawns, squids and green vegetables such as choy sum. It is one of the common chinese foods in Malaysia.
• Chai tow kway (Chinese : 菜頭粿) is a common dish in Malaysia and Singapore, also known as fried carrot cake, it is made of rice flour and white radish.
• Char Kway Teow (Chinese : 炒粿條，炒河粉). Stir fried rice noodles with prawns, eggs (pork or chicken), chives and beansprouts. Usually, with an option of cockles as well.
• Chee cheong fun (Chinese : 豬腸粉) is square rice sheets made from a viscous mixture of rice flour and water. This liquid is poured onto a specially-made flat pan in which it is steamed to produce the square rice sheets.
• Curry Mee (Chinese : 咖喱麺). A bowl of thin yellow noodles mixed with beehoon (rice vermicelli) in spicy curry soup with coconut milk with dried tofu, prawns, cuttlefish, chicken, mint leaves and topped with a special sambal.
• Duck noodle soup (Chinese : 鸭腿麺线) is famous in Penang food stalls, ingredients include duck meat in hot soup with mixed herbals and slim white noodles mee-sua.
• Fuzhou cuisine can be found in the Sitiawan area. Specialities include Kong piang.
• Ginger Duck Mee (Chinese : 姜鸭麺). Egg noodles cooked with duck stew. The duck is stewed with ginger in black sauce. This dish is available only from selected restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley as the duck stew can be cumbersome to prepare.
• Hainanese Chicken Rice (Chinese : 海南雞飯). steamed chicken served with rice cooked in margarine or chicken fat & chicken stock and chicken soup. The rice is usually served in a bowl or a plate but in Malacca (a historical town), the rice is served in the form of rice balls.
• Hakka Ham Cha (Chinese : 客家 咸茶/雷茶)
• Hokkien Mee Kuala Lumpur (Chinese : 福建麵). A dish of thick yellow noodles fried in thick black soy sauce and pork lard which has been fried until it is crispy. This dish is served only in Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Klang and Kuantan.
• Hokkien Mee or Hae Mee or Prawn Mee (Penang) This is a bowl of yellow mee and meehoon (rice noodles) served in soup boiled from prawns, boiled egg, kangkong vegetable and chilli.
• Kaya toast or Roti bakar is a traditional breakfast dish. Kaya is a sweet coconut and egg jam, and this is spred over toasted white bread. With a cup of local coffee and half-boiled eggs in soya sauce, it forms a typical Singaporean breakfast set.
• Kway chap (Chinese : 粿汁), Teochew dish of rice sheets in dark soya soup, served with pig offal, tofu derivatives and boiled eggs.
• Loh Mee (Chinese : 滷麵). A bowl of thick yellow noodles served in soup made from egg, flour, prawn, squid and vegetable.
• Mi Hun Ker (Chinese : 面粉粿)
• Ngah Choy Kai (Bean sprouts chicken) of Ipoh (Chinese : 芽菜雞) is similar to Hainanese chicken rice. The steamed chicken are served with light soya sauce flavoured with oil and with a plate of beansprouts.
• Ngah Po Fan (Chinese : 瓦煲雞飯) is a claypot chicken rice dish famous in Ipoh. It is basically chicken rice cooked over high heat in copious amount of soy and oyster sauce. Dried salted fish is optional but highly recommended.
• Pan Mee or Ban Min (Chinese : 板麺) is a Hokkien-style egg noodle soup, some forms of Ban mian, comprises hand-kneaded pieces of dough, while others use regular strips of noodles.
• Popiah (Chinese : 薄饼), Hokkien-style spring roll or rolled crepe, stuffed mainly with stewed vegetables, usually shredded turnip and carrots. Other items may also include egg, chinese sausage ("lup cheong").
• Rojak (Malay Influenced: 水果囉喏). A fruit salad with a topping of thick dark prawn paste.
• Sin Chow (Singapore) Fried Mee Hoon (Chinese : 星洲米粉). Rice noodles stir fried with various ingredients such as barbequed pork, fish cake, carrots etc. Some restaurants may use different ingredients but the noodles should have the distinct Sin Chow Fried Rice Noodle taste. Popular in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas. The American Chinese version uses curry powder.
• Tau foo fah (Chinese : 豆腐花) is a curdled version of soya bean milk and is flavoured with syrup.
• Tong Sui (Chinese : 糖水), Chinese dessert with a lot of variety. Basically a sweet drink with different ingredients such as black beans, sea coconut, sweet potato, longan and others.
• Vegetarian dishes (Chinese : 素食, 斎) In some towns in Malaysia, there are vegetarian restaurants that serve vegetarian dishes which resembles many meat dishes in look and even taste although they are made solely from vegetarian ingredients. You can get vegetarian roast pork, steamed fish with skin and bone, chicken drumstick complete with authentic looking bone, etc.
• Wantan Mee (Chinese : 雲吞麵), Chinese noodles with Chinese dumpling (Chinese : 雲吞), and BBQ pork . Dumpling are usually made of Pork and/or prawns. The noodles may be served either in a bowl of soup with dumplings or on a plate with some dark soya sauce flavoured with oil and slices of roast pork and vegetable. For the latter, the dumplings will be served in a separate bowl with soup.
• Wu Tau Guo (Chinese : 芋頭糕), is yam cake that is made of mashed yam and rice flour. It has deep fried onion and shrimp on top, and usually served with red chilli paste.
• Yong tau foo (Chinese : 酿豆腐) is a soup dish with Hakka origins but is accepted by Malaysian all races.
• Yau Zaa Gwai or Eu Char Kway (Chinese : 油炸鬼) is Cantonese doughnut, a breakfast favourite eaten either like a doughnut--with coffee, or as a condiment for congee. The name itself is of some interest to history buffs as it translates into "greasy fried ghosts".
• Zuk or zhou or moi (Chinese : 粥) is congee, a rice porridge that comes with such ingredients as fish, chicken, century egg and minced pork.

Nyonya food

Nyonya food was invented by the Peranakan people of Malaysia and Singapore. It uses mainly Chinese ingredients but blends them with South-East Asian spices such as coconut milk, lemon grass, turmeric, screwpine leaves, chillies and sambal. It can be considered as a blend of Chinese and Malay cooking.

Examples of Nyonya dishes include:

• Laksa lemak is a type of laksa served in a rich coconut gravy.
• Otak-otak is a fish cake grilled in a banana leaf wrapping. The town of Muar is famous for it.
• Ayam pongteh, a chicken stew cooked with tauchu and gula melaka that is sweetish
• Ayam buah keluak, a chicken dish cooked using the nuts from Pangium edule or the "Kepayang" tree, a mangrove tree that grows in Malaysia and Indonesia
• Cincalok, a distinctly Peranakan condiment made of fermented shrimp
• Se Bak, pork loin, marinated overnight with herbs and spices, cooked over a slow fire and simmered to perfection.

Cross cultural influence

Being a multicultural country, Malaysians have over the years adapted each other's dishes to suit the tastebuds of their own race. For instance, Malaysians of Chinese descent have adapted the Indian curry, and made it more dilute and less spicy to suit their taste.

Chinese noodles have been crossed with Indian and Malay tastes and thus Malay fried noodles and Indian fried noodles were born.

Other foods

Thai food also features strongly in Malaysian cuisine and localised versions of Thai favourites like tom yam are widely available. Smaller pockets of migrants such as Filipinos and Indonesians also have set up shop locally, catering mostly to their exclusive clientèle. In Kuala Lumpur and other major towns, one can find more restaurants serving Japanese, Korean, Italian, American and other international cuisines.

Desserts

File:Cendol.PNG

A bowl of cendol.

Desserts in Malaysia tend to make use of generous amounts of coconut milk. Some common desserts include:

• Cendol. Smooth green rice noodles in chilled coconut milk and gula melaka (coconut palm sugar).

• Ais kacang (also known as air batu campur or just ABC. "Ais" is a Malay spelling of the English word "Ice") Sweet corn, red beans and cincau (grass jelly) topped with shaved ice, colourful syrups and condensed milk.

• Pulut hitam. Black glutinous rice porridge cooked with sago and served hot with coconut milk.

• Bubur cha cha. Yam and sweet potato cubes served in coconut milk and sago, served hot or cold.

• Honeydew sago. Honeydew melon cubes served in chilled coconut

milk and sago.

• Pengat (Tapioca or Banana) a thick brown sugar mix together with the ingredient and cook.

A huge variety of tropical fruits are commonly served as desserts in Malaysia. The most famous is possibly the durian. Other popular fruits local to Malaysia include mango, pineapple, watermelon, jackfruit, papaya, langsat, rambutan, star fruit, banana and mangosteen.

See also

• Penang cuisine
• Ipoh cuisine
• Cuisine of Singapore
• Mamak stall